Vous êtes sur la page 1sur 7

The Human Resources Frame: Unionization and Outsourcing

Angelina Spaulding
OGL 498: Pro Seminar I
College of Letters and Sciences
Arizona State University

The Human Resources Frame: Unionization and Outsourcing


The Inner Harbor (also referred to as simply the Harbor) in Baltimore, MD is an
international tourist destination. Many people that have been part of the service industry within
the city, generally speaking, have at least found themselves to be employed in one of the main
national/international chain restaurants that are centered in the area. I myself have been a
server and manager within restaurants in the harbor. The service industry is a grueling
environment. Difficult enough that at time the possibility of the creation of unions can occur,
due to the development of disenchanted low-level employees. As well, the concepts of how
modern day outsourcing in regards to employee hiring can be seen throughout the area. Please
consider how unionization and outsourcing can be viewed in the hiring practices of many
restaurants in the Harbor area.
First the discussion will focus on the topic of unions. At this time, from what I know
based on personal experience alone, none of the restaurants in the Inner Harbor have been
unionized. However, that does not prevent unions from attempting to make moves in the
Harbor. In late February into late March, area businesses push through multiple applicants to
help prepare for the busy summer season. As a manager for an international restaurant we it
was not uncommon for union representatives to try to be secretly employed, with an agenda to
unionize a restaurant. Union members would also attempt to actively solicit within restaurants
to employees during business hours through engaging in conversation or leaving literature on
tables for bussers and severs to pick up. Even while walking home union members would
attempt to solicit materials to employees in the harbor. As an employee I had never worked at a
place in which I felt required unionization, because I would not hesitate to walk away from a
situation if I felt disrespected. However, I could see disrespect and over working occur for some
employees who would feel trapped in their roles. These are the people who would likely be
willing to at least consider the idea of unionizing a restaurant. Unions are a very active part of

the Harbor during the early months when preparing for the busy season, and if potential poor
managerial experiences for employees persistent, unionization could occur within a business.
Outsourcing occurs on a domestic front within the Inner Harbor in Baltimore. Even
though restaurants ramp up hiring in spring for the summer, some organizations choose to hirer
nonlocal employees. These employees are known as J-1s, because that is also the name of
the legal paper work that the organization must fill out with the federal government that allows
the person to work and live in the states during short-term employment. J-1s are essentially
employees who are sourced from other countries. My experience is that many of the J-1s are
from Eastern European countries like Moldavia and Serbia. The specific organization that I had
been employed by would offer schooling to J-1s, and if the individual passed an English
language and cultural exam the person could be employed for a short period during the
summer. Some people are frustrated with the idea of allowing J-1s to work in the Harbor,
because it takes away from the employment of local people and prevents money from staying
the country. The J-1s I knew came to work in America and then would send money home,
which could be exchanged into a larger amount of local currency due to exchange rate
differences. Even though the business did not move operations off shores, the organization
moved its employee hiring to bring people from off shores to work in the business; which can be
argued as a form of outsourcing.
Unionization and outsourcing are two examples that can be viewed in the hiring practices of
business within the Baltimore, MDs inner harbor. The active work of union representatives
attempting to bring more people towards the groups cause by soliciting potential disenchanted
employees can be seen in the harbor. As well as, outsourcing employees in the Harbor through
J-1 practices can impact local restaurants. Unionization and outsourcing are two aspects of the
human resources frame that can be identified based on personal experience of working as a
manager and server within the restaurant environment in the Inner Harbor.

Prompt #3: List the reasons cited in the text (Chapter 7) as why managers persist in pursuing
less effective strategies than those obtained through high involvement, high performance or
high commitment management practices. How have you experienced these organizational
pressures in your own work life (please elaborate)?
Bolman and Deal (2008) list two reasons as to why managers persist in pursuing less
effective strategies than those obtained through high involvement, high performance mangers
practices. One problem is managerial ambivalence (p. 161) and the other is that execution
requires skill and understanding that are often in short supply (p. 162). These two factors
highlighted by the authors can be viewed in personal organizational experiences.
First, consider that mangers do not necessarily are able to identify a return on
investment. Progressive practices cost money and alter the relationship between superiors
and subordinates (p. 161). Some managers may believe that training employees has no short
term effect within the moment, and for that reason neglect the long term value an employee may
gain from training. And for that reason does not complete training correctly or at all. My current
organization requires monthly safety training. My experience with this training is that the
manager places the material that needs to be read on a clip board, and asks each person to
sign that they have read the document. Many of the employees do not take the time to read the
text, and simply sign off that the work has been completed. The copy is not long, but it holds
some important information and tips on various safety concerns. The manger does not
recognize the short or long term value of this information. It would be wiser to engage each
employee (we are a team of about twenty) over a five minute conversation to ensure that
important details are learned. Or delegate the task to middle level department managers to
ensure that each sub team within the group has up to date safety information. Why would a
small conversation about safety training be so important? An employee recently had been
injured on the job. The person reached into a sink full of dirty dishes and water and cut their

hand on a knife that had been thrown into the water with no regard to the direction of the blade
or communicating to others about the knife. This person required stiches, missed one day or
work, and now the organization has to pay workers compensation for the injury. These three
outcomes could have been avoided if safety training had occurred, because the most ironic part
of this story is that a month prior to the accident the safety meeting topic had been knife safety.
If the manager understood the value of training, regardless of how mundane it may seem, can
have long term benefits for an employer and employees.
Another aspect to consider is that leaders within the organization themselves do not
have the skills required to conduct proper training. My manager is new to the organization, and
has been overwhelmed by the workload and expectations of the organization. This is very
evident when it comes to the training provided to new employees. As this new manager
struggles to learn the requirements of the business, another major area that is neglected is the
coaching and training of employees. The manager in the department prior to this new manager,
had created a culture in which all employees were involved in the training and coaching of new
employees. This new manager wants to take all of the responsibility for training, even though
specific employees have been designated as new employee trainers. This hurts the new
employee by not receiving the entire training program, because the new manager does not
follow the prescribed training schedules or methods. It provides frustration to seasoned
employees, because the new employees are not learning the skills and knowledge required to
meet the demands of the job as a result this impacts clients by not providing the quality level
that is expected. This managers personal awareness is not strong in regards to the impact the
poor training has on the entire staff, and this lack of knowledge on the managers part is
creating an angry and bitter staff due to the haphazard training of new employees.
When managers are not willing to be aware of long term potential in short term
investments people within the organization can be impacted in a negative fashion. When

managers themselves lack the skills and knowledge to help engage employees negative
consequences can occur. The two examples above show how low involved and low performing
managers can influence outcomes that necessarily are not desirable results for an organization.
Thus, iterating the importance of encouraging managers to act in highly involved fashion.

Reference
Bolman, L.G. & Deal, T.E. (2008). Reframing organizations: Artistry, Choice, and Leadership.
Jossey Bass: San Francisco

Vous aimerez peut-être aussi